Improvement in hand-stamps



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAND-STAMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,593, dated August1, 1871.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Evnnnr'r H. BARNEY, of Springfield, in the county ofHampden andState of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Hand-Stamps; "and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable thoseskilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in whichdrawing- Figure 1 represents a sectionalside view of this invention.Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionof the same, the line a Fig. 1, indicating the plane of section. Fig. 4is a partial side view of the same.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a hand-stamp composed of a number of carriers,each containing a series of punches which can be adjusted un der theplunger by means of said carriers, while the plunger extends across thewhole series of 'carriers in such a manner that, if the punches are madetorepresent letters or figures, the stamp can be readily set for anydesirable word or number, and, by depressing the plunger, said word ornumber is punched out of or otherwise impressed on a piece of paper orother material placed beneathit. The carriers are provided withhorizontal plates perforated to correspond to the punches so as to guidethe same While they do their Work and clear the paper from the punches.With the plungers and the carriers are combined end punches to produce amark at each end of the row of marks produced by the carrier-punches, insuch a mann er that said row cannot be increased by the use of detachedpunches. Vith these punches are combined clearers, which .also formstops to arrest the downward motion of the plunger. Each carrier isprovided With a scale-bar and a notched rack, so that said carrier canbe brought into the position desired, and be retained While the plungeris being depressed.

In the drawing, A designates a frame, from which rises a yoke B, (seeFigs. 1 and 3,) which forms the guide for the plunger D. Between saidyoke are situated six, (more or less) carriers, C, which rest upon theflat top of the frame A, and each of which carries ten (more or less)punches, a. The stems of these punches project above the upper surfacesof the carriers all to the same height, so that, if a transverse roW ofthe punches is adjusted beneath the plunger, (see Fig. 3,) said plunger,on being depressed, will exert a uniform action on all said punches,Each of the punches is subjected to the action of a spring, b, (seeFigs. 1 and 3,) which has a tendency to carry its punch up until thehead 'of said punch strikes against a shoulder provided for that purposein the carrier 5 and, in order to give to the carriers the requisitestrength with out rendering them unnecessarily heavy, I have made themhollow, with a series of transverse partitions, c, (see Fig. 1,) so asto divide the holi low space in the carriers in a series of chambers,each chamber to contain two (more or less) punches. The cutting part ofeach punch is composed of a series of pins, arranged in such a positionin relation to each other that they form figures or letters, the punchesshown in the drawing being made to represent figures, and each carriercontaining punches representing the figures from 0 to 9. The pins orcutting-faces of the punches are guided in horizontal plates d of thecarriers, said plates d being perforated to receive the pins, so thatthe punches are prevented from getting bent when put in operation and toclear the paper off the pins after the characters have been punched.rIhe horizontal plates d are sufficiently elevated above the bottomlplates c ofthe carriers to allow of introducing a sheet of paperI orother material to be acted on by the punches, `and these bottom plates eare also per* forated to correspond to the punches and to form the diesor female parts of said punches. The bottom plates e are made withchambers m beneath the perforations, which chambers are open at thesides, and a thin slide-cover, m', is made to slide longitudinally in adovetail groove at the open side of said chambers, so that said slide,when in place, entirely closes the chambers, and the bottom of eachchamber has an aperture or slot, a, therein, which should not be widerthan the Width. ofthe slot g in the bed, and these apertures or slots aare arranged in line directly over each slot g. By this arrangement thesmall pieces which are punched out of the paper are free to drop intothe said chambers m, and from thence, through the openings a and slotsg, to the table or a space beneath the bed of the machine; otherwise,beingso small, they Would be liable to get in between the carriers orbeneath them and clog the machine, and prevent the free movement of thecarriers along the bed-plate. To the bottom part of each carrier issecured a bar, F, by means of a screw, f, which works in edge'h', andinY this# case the Vpunch in said carrier representing the 0 will beexactly under the plunger; but if one of the scale-bars is drawn out soas to bring the figure 3 in front of the edge h, the punch representingthis figure will come under the plunger, and, consequently, if it isdesired to adjust the punches for the number 5370, the first two bars Fon the left-hand side of the machine are left in, the third bar is drawnout to bring the figure 5 in front of the edge h, the next is set to thefigure 3, the next to the figure 7, and the last to the 0. By thesemeans the punches representing 005370 are brought under the plunger, andif a piece of paper is placed under the punches and the plunger isdepressed the desired number is punched out of said paper To the undersides of the scale-bars F are secured notched racks G, Fig. 1, or, ifdesired, these racks may be made solid with the bars F. rIhe distancebetween the notches in said racks corresponds to the distance of thepunches in the carriers, and said notches can be made to catch over theedge in the frame A. (See Fig. l.) If one ofthe bars F is drawn outuntil the desired punch of the corresponding carrier stands under theplunger, one of the notches in the appropriate rack is in position tocatch over the edge t', and, if the notch is allowed to catch, thecarrier is rnily retained in position and not liable to be thrown out ofthe correct position while the adjoining carrier is being set, or by anyother cause. rlhe plunger D is subjected to the action of two springs,j, which have a tendency to carry the same up to the position shown inthe drawing, and it requires a pretty smart blow to drive down theplunger, together with all the punches on which it acts. In each end ofthe plunger is secured a punch, 7c, Fig. 3, intended to perforate thepaper on each side of the number produced by the main punches. Theprincipal object of these end punches is to prevent the addition of anyfigure to the number punched out by the stamp, since, by doing so, thevalue of the number could be raised in a comparatively easy and simplemanner.

My method of making the female die of this punch 7c is as follows: Imake the standards or side pieces of the yoke B solid and without, thehorizontal opening l in which to place the paper when being punched,and, after making the vertical hole therein which receives the punch k,I

then make the horizontal opening before mentioned. By this method ofconstruction I am enabled to make the two holes perfectly coincide, thehole above the horizontal opening being directly above the hole below,and the part of the yoke which is below the horizontal opening Idenominate the die t, and the part which is above I denominate theclearer t. The die is cored out on the inside, so that the small piecespunched out may drop freely. rEhe tops of the clearers form stops e forthe plunger, so that said plunger, when forced down to the requisitedepth, will be arrested by coming in contact with said stops z. (SeeFig. 3.) Were there no provision of this Vkindthe force ef the downwardblow wouldnbe e Y expended upon the punches, which would be liable to bebent and injured by such a result. The punches k also serve assteady-pins to guide the plunger in a true vertical movement.

My hand-stamp is designed particularly to stamp in a bank-check its facevalue, or to stamp the proper numbers into bonds, drafts, or otherdocuments of value.

In order to adjust the check or other paper in the proper position theyoke B is provided with guide-slots l, (see Fig. 4,) the depth of whichis such that when the edge of the paper strikes the end of the slot thepunch-marks will come at the properI distance from said edge. By mymachine the operation of punching out the number representing the facevalue of a check is compara! tively simple, since the carriers can beadjusted to the desired number in a very short time, and, after thecarriers have been adjusted, a single blow 011 the head of the plungerproduces the desired effect.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The arrc ngemcnt, in a hand-stamp, of a number of carriers, (l, eachcontaining a series of punches, a, guide-plates d, and counter-punchesor dies c, the punches to be acted on by a plunger which extendstransversely across said carriers, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

2. The end punches 7s, in combination with the carriers C, punches a,and plungers D, all constructed and operatin g substantially asdescribed.

3. The carrier-bars, provided with gauge-racks G and scales F, asdescribed, in combination with the punches a, guides d, and plunger D,substantially as set forth.

4. The side punches 7c, with their dies t and clearers t, when said diesand clearers are made in one piece, and the clearers t form a stop forthe plunger D, substantially as described.

5. rIlhe plates c, provided with chambers m, each having an opening, a,at the bottom, the same operating to free the machine from the minutepieces punched out, substantially as described.

EVERETT H. BARNEY. Witnesses:

T. A. CURTIS, j CLARENCE E. BUGKLAND.

